The role of self-regulation in derogating attractive alternatives

The present research addresses the question of how romantically involved individuals are able to shield their ongoing romantic relationship from the temptation of attractive alternative partners Specifically, two studies examined, and supported, the prediction that self-regulation promotes romantically involved individuals' tendency to derogate attractive others as potential partners Heterosexual participants responded to pictures of attractive and unattractive opposite-sex others by indicating their interest in these others as potential partners In both studies the possibility for self-regulation exertion was manipulated (by means of self-regulation depletion in Study 1, and time-pressure in Study 2) When self-regulatory resources were relatively high, romantically involved participants exhibited less interest in attractive opposite-sex others than non-involved participants However. when self-regulatory resources were low, interest in attractive opposite-sex others did not differ between romantically involved and non-involved participants (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved